Things Change
by jclark775
Summary: The older you get, the harder it is to keep in contact with old friends.


It was three in the morning, yet neither of them had any desire to sleep. Wally felt like if he looked away or so much as blinked, his friend would vanish, just like he always used to. This was the first time the two of them had seen each other like this in more than a few months. Of course, it wasn't intentional, it never was. It started with one cancelled plan ("Sorry, dude, it's a one-time thing, I swear"). And then suddenly that one-time thing happened again ("My girlfriend doesn't want me to go out tonight, man. I swear I'll make it up to you") and again ("Something came up. I promise, I'll be there next time"), until it gets to the point where plans get made with the expectation of being broken by one of them or the other, before they finally just stop being made with the rationalization that they would see each other when they saw each other. It was just one of those things that happens as people grow up. And yet, Wally couldn't help the twinge of guilt he felt from looking across his kitchen table at his best friend, who looked more than a little worn around the edges as he calmly sipped coffee out of a Nightwing mug (Wally had been sure to collect a mug with the symbol of each League member and each member of the team, just in case they ever came over - he thought it would be cool, and he felt like it was).

The house was quiet. His lovely wife and darling daughter were away for the weekend, some Mother-Daughter Girl Scouts retreat or something, so it just left the two of them there to reminisce alone and catch up. "How about that time with the reds, you know, Tornado's family?" Wally asked. "Are you trying to say you weren't scared then?"

"I don't get scared, remember," Dick said, raising his eyebrow, a smirk on his face, challenging Wally to argue with him.

"Dude, you almost drown, remember?"

"I remember," Dick said. "I remember not being scared... and I remember that look on your face as the water was rising on you too. You must've been terrified."

"I was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not!" Wally protested, Dick's smirk only growing.

"You're right, you're right," Dick said, finally reletting. "You totally weren't scared."

"Thank you," Wally said, holding himself from laughing, a smile floating to his lips. This brought him back to all the petty arguments they had when they were younger, like the time he tried to argue that the Flash could beat Batman, which had led to them testing out which of them could beat the other (best two out of three) which ended in an inconclusive draw when Bruce and Barry walked in to see them mid-fight and broke it up. Back then when they slept over and stayed up late, it was to play video games or play pranks on people. Now, when they stayed up late, it was just to talk and reminisce about the good old days. When did they turn old?

"Do you guys ever miss it?" Dick said.

"Miss what?" Wally's eyebrows furrowed for a moment.

"Running around and stopping the bad guys," Dick said, wrapping his hand around his mug.

Wally thought about it for a moment, weighing it in his mind. In truth, he did miss the thrill and the rewarding feeling of stopping villains' schemes, but he also really enjoyed sleeping in and cozy nights at home with his family, not having a worry in the world, too. If either of them ever went back, then that would go away. They would be responsible for jumping into action whenever something bad happened in the city. And that thought gave him his answer. He shook his head. "Not really. I'm living the life here. Our little Paula is enough to keep me busy. I swear, it's like she's a speedster too, dude. I'm actually scared that she's going to wake up with powers one day - there's no way I'll be able to keep up with her, which actually reminds me. She told me you were trying to teach her how to do your old disappearing act... Please don't." Dick couldn't help but to laugh. "And Artemis is an amazing wife and mom, dude." Wally let out a small chuckle. "I never would've thought that back when we first met her, but I was stupid back then."

"I'm going to tell her you said that," Dick said, a Cheshire grin on his face.

"Please don't," Wally said, shaking his head, a smile on his lips too. "And, anyways, when are you planning on settling down yourself, dude? Take a break, get hitched, live happily ever after, y'know?"

It was Dick's turn to shake his head and laugh. "I don't see that happening any time soon. Things have been getting pretty crazy in Bludhaven these days, or well crazier than usual. And between that and overseeing the team, I don't have any time for that right now."

"Come on, dude, even Bruce takes a break now and then these days."

"No, he does not. He says he's going on vacation, and then he does undercover work for a little while. He still hasn't learned to take it easy."

"Still, man, you can't live like this forever. You have to take a break sometime."

"I'm taking one now, aren't I?" Dick said, a cheeky grin in place.

"And what are you doing with that time? Sitting here talking about our crime-fighting days with me dude."

"Only because you haven't pulled out the game system yet. Afraid I'm going to kick your butt like the last time we played?"

Wally felt a competitive spark light up inside him. "Oh, it's on." A moment later, he super-speeded around and set up the system, two controller at the ready. Both men set their mugs down on the coffee table, grabbing their controllers.

"Super Smash Bros? I haven't touched this in age," Dick said, appraising the game screen.

"Already coming up with excuses, aye?" Wally said.

"Yeah, yeah, but talk coming from 'Flash Jr.'"

"Oh, it's on now, 'Boy Blunder!'" And like that, Wally felt a familiar serenity pass over him as he laughed and exchanged smack-talk as the game went on. The played for what felt like hours, bantering away, just like when they were younger. And, after a very close loss, Wally couldn't help but to think to himself aloud, "I have missed this. I remember we used to get together all the time, at least once a week, just to hang out. That's one thing I have missed. The 'life' did make doing that easier." Wally could hear the distinctive sounds of a downpour and thunder outside in the silence after he spoke. How long had that been going on for?

Beside him, he could see Dick nod. "I've missed this too... But I am happy for you guys. I'm glad you settled down and are getting your 'happily ever after,' really I am. Try to live it up for the rest of us, all right?"

"I'll do my best," Wally said, a light yet uneasy smile on his face. His eyes seemed to go from his friend to the TV screen to the controller resting on his lap. He shook his head a little, as if trying to shake his thoughts away. "We can't go this long without hanging out again. You, me, Artemis, the rest of the team. It would be nice to have everyone get together every now and then. We miss you guys... and we worry about you, y'know. Any day something can happen." Thunder could be heard echoing outside.

Dick shook his head and chuckled. "All right, all right, enough of that man. You win, you win. I'll work on arranging a group vacation or something. I'll make sure it's something that works for everyone."

"You better be forreal," Wally said. "No more breaking plans with each other, got it? No matter what."

"I'm not so sure I'll be able to keep that promise..." The storm outside only seemed to intensify, thundering harder and harder as the moments ticked by, until lightning suddenly seemed to strike nearby. Everything in the house turned off in an instant, leaving Wally all alone in complete darkness. The only sound that filled the room was the storm outside. At some point, Wally heard the sound of keys turning in the lock in the front door. He heard the door open, heard the torrent of rain outside, and the sound of wet footsteps squeaking on their tile floor. Before he could process what was happening, he found himself in a soaking wet bearhug, courtesy of his wife. The only thing his mind could think to say was "Oh... you guys are home early." He could hear his daughter sobbing not far from him.

"Of course," Artemis said, voice clearly concerned. "As soon as I heard what happened, we turned right around." There was a strain in her voice and a quiver of her lip. She was fighting the urge to breakdown crying herself. "Are - are you okay? How are you holding up?" His eyebrows furrowed, wondering just what she was talking about. Why wouldn't he be okay? Artemis shook her head. "I - I can't believe he's actually gone..." She said. "Nightwing always just seemed so invincible."

* * *

A/N: It's been a long while since I've written anything in general, let alone for this fandom. Kind of sad to see that while I was gone a lot of people removed some very good stories from the site and deleted their accounts.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the story. Thanks for reading.


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